robbie244 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 (edited) hi all, bought a new hose brush from halfords today as was given a voucher so had to go there not my first choice believe me, got it fitted up and gave a short wash to the roof that was starting to go a bit pitted and mossey, i say that as it was last done 2 yr ago and has lasted fine its not under trees etc,, 1 thing was i also got the soap sticks but not used yet,, are they any good?, i wont climb up at shes a 92 Elddis and prob wont hold me Edited December 31, 2018 by robbie244 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_B Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 I use a telescopic window pole from Aldi, then bend the brush section over your knee, then you can clean the roof from the floor. If its bad I spray the caravan with poorboys snowfoam and caravan cleaner mix (I like auotoglym), then brush and wash off, starting from bottom to top. Quote Paul B . .......Mondeo Estate & Elddis Avanté 505 (Tobago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 1 hour ago, Paul_B said: . . . then brush and wash off, starting from bottom to top. Good advice until the last line - "bottom to top" - on a roof??? Seriously though; I've always believed that providing a good quality polish has been used, then plain water is normally all that is needed to restore the shine to a caravan roof. For the last 30 odd years our caravans and motorhomes have all been stored to the side of the house but it's embarrassing to see a dirty roof when viewed from the bathroom window above, so while the caravan was kept well polished and rinsed regularly with plain water, our MH tends to be cleaned with a mild detergent as the rubber membrane roof covering does not take kindly to polishes. 11 hours ago, robbie244 said: . . . got the soap sticks but not used yet,, are they any good? Can't comment on the soap sticks, but I hope the video below may inspire you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wellys and Mac Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 (edited) I have a VAX pressure washer with extension poles, I attach 2 of these poles to the trigger and then the rotating brush head, cleans the roof very easily, then I use the soft brush attachment for around the roof lights. If it's very dirty I spray Snowfoam on beforehand. Edited January 1, 2019 by Wellys and Mac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie244 Posted January 1, 2019 Author Share Posted January 1, 2019 my biggest issue was access but now i put a ladder against the rails with some pipe protection foam round the ladder and it means i can get up there now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David 38 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 On 01/01/2019 at 09:55, Gordon said: Good advice until the last line - "bottom to top" - on a roof??? Seriously though; I've always believed that providing a good quality polish has been used, then plain water is normally all that is needed to restore the shine to a caravan roof. For the last 30 odd years our caravans and motorhomes have all been stored to the side of the house but it's embarrassing to see a dirty roof when viewed from the bathroom window above, so while the caravan was kept well polished and rinsed regularly with plain water, our MH tends to be cleaned with a mild detergent as the rubber membrane roof covering does not take kindly to polishes. Can't comment on the soap sticks, but I hope the video below may inspire you. Won't the ladder with weight of the guy damage the awning rail? Quote Regards, David Peugeot 308 GT Premium, 1.5 diesel 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beejay Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 2 hours ago, David Park said: Won't the ladder with weight of the guy damage the awning rail? Actually, no it won't and I've done for many years. You can put your fingers between the ladder and rail without causing injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko1 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 I would be reluctant to use snowfoam unless you planned to polish and wax afterwards. It is designed to move remnants of polish etc from bodywork, or at least that's my understanding. When I got the van 18 months ago it had a serious coating of Collinite Wax, which still forms a good base today. It will probably need another doing at some point this year, on the wheels I used a poorboys rim wax. I have a decent size step ladder that means I do not have to lean anything on the sides of the van, then its a good mix of Muc-off and long soft brush and using the two bucket method and a hose pipe, once done I wrap a decent microfibre cloth (I do go through a few of them) around the head of the brush and use something like Autoglym Rapid detailer. Generally tend to find that once a year for the roof is fine at the start of the season and just cos Im me usually give the roof a soapy wash mid year. The rest of the bodywork I do in the same way and then just go over the van whenever needed with rapid detailer which I find cleans up the van well as a waterless wash. Have used the same method on all my little collection of classic cars in the past and have always been easy to keep clean and shiny. As sad as it may be, but keeping all my things mobile clean and polished is my therapy!! Quote 2018 Volvo XC60 D4 AWD + Penshurst Premier Plus (AKA Elddis Affinity 550) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leedslad Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 15 hours ago, robbie244 said: my biggest issue was access but now i put a ladder against the rails with some pipe protection foam round the ladder and it means i can get up there now 22mm Pipe insulation is the way to go, I've been doing that for several years and no damage to the awning rails. Safer than wobbling about on step ladders. I use a long brush and bucket of water then rinse with the hose pipe like Gordon. I find it doesn't get very dirty if I clean it twice a year and it's easy to do. John. Quote Never ask a man if he comes from Yorkshire. If he does, he'll tell you. If he doesn't, why humiliate him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angus Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Anyone used `Wet and Forget` on their van roof? I`ve used it on pebbles, tarmac, PVCu window frames and fascias/soffits and it has always produced a better result than I expected. Just thinking a quick blast on the roof will remove any crud and algae so making the post-winter wash much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkey1984 Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I did my roof last spring, luckily i had access to a large forklift i could climb up on the back of to reach, and some truck wash, and a steam cleaner/pressure washer, i set it up so the truck wash was being metered in as i washed it, wasn't exactly satisfactory, you can see where i tried that in the first image, so i changed tactics, i spray bottled the roof with neat truck wash, went and had a cup of tea and then came back and jetted it off, came up lovely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A11 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I would never use truck wash/TFR on my caravan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkey1984 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I use it on everything, agreed it is quite aggressive, but as long as you make sure it's absolutely all washed away and get some protection back on surfaces afterwards (I use meguiars wax) I've always been ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_B Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 On 02/01/2019 at 14:11, Jacko1 said: I would be reluctant to use snowfoam unless you planned to polish and wax afterwards. It is designed to move remnants of polish etc from bodywork, or at least that's my understanding. When I got the van 18 months ago it had a serious coating of Collinite Wax, which still forms a good base today. It will probably need another doing at some point this year, on the wheels I used a poorboys rim wax. I have a decent size step ladder that means I do not have to lean anything on the sides of the van, then its a good mix of Muc-off and long soft brush and using the two bucket method and a hose pipe, once done I wrap a decent microfibre cloth (I do go through a few of them) around the head of the brush and use something like Autoglym Rapid detailer. Generally tend to find that once a year for the roof is fine at the start of the season and just cos Im me usually give the roof a soapy wash mid year. The rest of the bodywork I do in the same way and then just go over the van whenever needed with rapid detailer which I find cleans up the van well as a waterless wash. Have used the same method on all my little collection of classic cars in the past and have always been easy to keep clean and shiny. As sad as it may be, but keeping all my things mobile clean and polished is my therapy!! I wouldn't use a TFR unless I wanted to strip the wax and start again, but I like snowfoam on the car as its gentle and removes the dirt before cleaning to prevent swirl marks. I also use the 2 bucket method, both the caravan and the car have been treated with Boora Permaseal, then Collanite 476 on the car and auotoglym on the caravan. Quote Paul B . .......Mondeo Estate & Elddis Avanté 505 (Tobago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacko1 Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Paul_B said: I wouldn't use a TFR unless I wanted to strip the wax and start again, but I like snowfoam on the car as its gentle and removes the dirt before cleaning to prevent swirl marks. I also use the 2 bucket method, both the caravan and the car have been treated with Boora Permaseal, then Collanite 476 on the car and auotoglym on the caravan. I use the Collanite 476 on the caravan as well, its brilliant stuff and then just wipe it over when I feel the need with rapid detailer. I wouldn't dream of using anything as aggressive as TFR, does it not damage some of the through roof seals and gaskets? Quote 2018 Volvo XC60 D4 AWD + Penshurst Premier Plus (AKA Elddis Affinity 550) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_B Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 06/01/2019 at 11:09, Jacko1 said: I use the Collanite 476 on the caravan as well, its brilliant stuff and then just wipe it over when I feel the need with rapid detailer. I wouldn't dream of using anything as aggressive as TFR, does it not damage some of the through roof seals and gaskets? There are different TFRs as well as different snowfoams, I use an economy TFR as a moss killer on paths, whereas I use a ph. neutral one for wheel cleaning. As with all cleaning substances follow the instructions and don't be tempted to add another glug Theres lots of info on detailing forums on which to use and which to avoid Quote Paul B . .......Mondeo Estate & Elddis Avanté 505 (Tobago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommanderDave Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Using a pressure wash you need to take into account that the seal are only non setting mastic and only soft and you could blast the mastic apart and create leaks into it . I only use a hose on a low pressure to wash any of my caravans or motorhomes . What ever I wash over with usually a autoglym shampoo I then immediately clean it off the acylic windows with autoglym glass cleaner that is safe on acylic to stop crazing . Dave Edited January 11, 2019 by CommanderDave Quote Jeep Commander 3. 0 V6 CRD Isuzu D- Max Utah Auto Elddis Crusader Storm 2000 Kgs, Unipart Royal Atlas Mover . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevan Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 I would never use any product on my van that was not specifically sold for that purpose, not because of the effect on the paint, rather the effect on the sealants. Some products are incredibly aggressive and the last thing I want is a chemical attack on the joints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie244 Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 i dont use a pressure washer and only soap and water with my hose brush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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